Subj:.....The
Life Of Harry Truman (S659)
From: tom on 8/24/2009
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Source: http://www.snopes.com/quotes/truman/truman.asp
Harry Truman was a
different kind of President. He probably made
as many important
decisions regarding our nation's history as any
of the other 42 Presidents.
However, a measure of his greatness
may rest on what
he did after he left the White House.
The only asset he
had when he died was the house he lived in, which
was in Independence
Missouri.
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His wife had inherited
the house from her mother and other than
their years in the
White House, they lived their entire lives there.
When he retired from
office in 1952, his income was a U.S. Army
pension reported
to have been $13,507.72 a year. Congress, noting
that he was paying
for his stamps and personally licking them,
granted him an 'allowance'
and, later, a retroactive pension of
$25,000 per year..
After President Eisenhower
was inaugurated, Harry and Bess drove
home to Missouri
by themselves. There were no Secret Service
following them.
When offered corporate
positions at large salaries, he declined, stating, "You don't want me.
You want the office of the President,
and that doesn't
belong to me. It belongs to the American people
and it's not for
sale."
Even later, on May
6, 1971, when Congress was preparing to award
him the Medal of
Honor on his 87th birthday, he refused to accept
it, writing, "I don't
consider that I have done anything which
should be the reason
for any award, Congressional or otherwise."
As president he paid
for all of his own travel expenses and food.
Modern politicians
have found a new level of success in cashing
in on the Presidency,
resulting in untold wealth. Today, many in
Congress also have
found a way to become quite wealthy while
enjoying the fruits
of their offices. Political offices are now
for sale. (sic.
Illinois )
Good old Harry Truman
was correct when he observed, "My choices
in life were either
to be a piano player in a whore house or a politician. And to tell
the truth, there's hardly any difference!
I say dig him up and
clone him!!
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